Chapter Twenty
Dragon's Call
The Dari seemed surprised and rather happy at my sudden return. Many of them, however, seemed to understand that I would be heading off quickly. Most of my time with the Dari was spent learning about the many ships heading to the Mist Continent. You did not need a special ticket to get on; you only needed the Gil to pay to get on. Most of the ships sounded impressively expensive, but one had a price I knew I could afford. This ship, called the Dragon's Call, was a massive, high-tech ship that had the ability to fly in the air. I soon realized that it was an airship; I had heard about them, but never seen them.
The Dragon's Call was going to Lindblum, and it was leaving a day before Eoroqu fell back into darkness. According to Lizzy, the price of admission was 2500 Gil, which was cheap in comparison to the sea-faring, old freighters that still managed to sail despite their age.
While with the Dari, I was able to catch up on old times. Lizzy's five kids, who had names, finally, were already a year old and growing quickly. They found me interesting, each of them staring up at me with a different set of unique eyes. In a year, it seemed like everything had changed – And it had.
"So this is... Posy?" I asked, looking down at one of Lizzie and Ronde's girls, a white-furred Dari with green eyes. She reminded me much of Freya, though Freya was much older.
"Yep. We were out o' names," Lizzy replied, watching me. Tarot, one of the males with bluish fur and near-black eyes, was in her arms. Clearly, he had simply wanted to be held.
I nodded. "Makes enough sense. So when is the Dragon's Call--?"
"Tomorrow," Lizzy reminded me, putting Tarot down on the floor. Tarot glared at her and let out a soft whimper. Lizzy ignored him. "I'd like ta tell ya somethin'."
"What is it?" I asked, looking over at Lizzy while I allowed Posy to chew my finger. It didn't hurt in the least.
"Ya know Jason?" Lizzy asked, looking over at Tarot to make sure he didn't go crawling away.
"How could I not?" I asked, soon finding I had two children who wanted to chew my fingers.
"We caught 'im on a murder attempt. Tried ta kill Ronde," Lizzy said quietly, lifting Yvonne, a roan-eyed female with gray fur, into her arms.
I looked over at Lizzy with shock, startled by the news. Meanwhile, I lifted Posy into my own arms, finding that her chewing on my finger was starting to get a little annoying. "Really?"
"Seriously. Tarot! Get back 'ere!" Lizzy suddenly snapped at Tarot, who had been trying to crawl outside. He looked over at Lizzy and made a hissing noise. "Crazy child. Anyway, it turns out Jason 'ad murdered before. Before ya came 'ere, 'e 'ad murdered my sister, who 'ad been leadin' the huntin' team. 'E's gone now... Sent 'im ta go get eaten by the wild."
"I see," I said, watching as Uio, a brown-furred, blue-eyed male, lied in the corner. "He going to come out?"
"Uio? No, e's a shy one," Lizzy said with a frown. "Neve' wants ta play... I don' know why. TAROT!"
I laughed. "His opinion is leaving."
"'Opefully Ronde will catch 'im," Lizzy said, watching Tarot continue on his way toward the opening. "Yep. I 'ere 'im."
I nodded as I put Posy down on the floor, causing her to look up at me with innocent eyes. I looked outside, to where I could see the sun slowly setting. I then watched as Ronde came in and picked up a now clearly frustrated Tarot. I looked at the two and nodded.
"I'll be leaving now. Good luck," I said with a light smile.
"Take care o' yeself," Lizzy said while Ronde nodded.
I quickly left the tent and headed toward my own. I had to prepare to move out by nightfall.
Packing up and leaving was easier than it had been the first time. I found that I could leave with more ease. The Dari still had their traditional smiles and "Good lucks", but they too seemed to find it easier since I had not stayed long, and had been with them before. Soon, I was out in the wilderness, heading toward the Doorian coast, where the Dragon's Call was supposed to land.
The night was strangely quiet; that was the first thing I noticed as I traveled the now cold, dark desert. Normally night critters were actively pursuing prey, and watching me with eerie, glowing green eyes. Far more monstrous creatures would watch me as if ready to eat me, hence my spear being out and ready. Yet for once, none of these creatures were around. Nothing stirred; it was unsettling.
Finally, after an hour of unsettling traveling, I came to a stop. A feeling of great suspicion and unsettlement had come over me. I readied my spear as I looked around, able to see rather clearly in the dark.
That was when I heard it; a distinct scraping of claws against the sand. I spun my spear about as I readied it. The footsteps came ever closer. I thought I heard someone breathing, but I definitely heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. I took a deep breath as I waited quietly.
Then, just as I felt a rush of air behind me, I spun about and thrust my spear straight into Jason's chest. I was not surprised that it was he, though I felt slightly guilty for having to kill him. I retracted my spear and quickly shoved him to the ground. Jason fell to the ground, dropping the spear he had been holding.
"There is no excuse for murder," I growled.
"You?" Jason muttered.
"And you," I replied with a sigh. "While I had guessed you may have been a criminal I never guessed you'd be a murderer. I guess you had this in for you... Best wishes in the underworld."
Jason stared at me coldly. I walked over to the spear he had and picked it up. It really wasn't a spear... It was more like an axe. The blade of the spear was situated on the side, though a jagged edge rose to allow piercing to be done. The larger part of the blade was shaped like a massive, reddish-white axe blade. The lance could slash, or it could pierce. Furthermore, the wood was strong, and could easily stand pressure. I nodded to myself and looked down at Jason, who was about to fall unconscious.
"I'll take this," I muttered, dropping the spear I had originally taken, and spinning my new one to test its strength. "You won't need it, after all."
With those words, I turned around and headed back in the direction of the Doorian Coast. Guilt was within my mind for my actions, but I knew they were for the better. The Dari were safer now, and now I was more prepared for Beatrix.
I was approaching the sandy Doorian Coast, having long left the Lore Desert, when I was startled by a magnificent wonder. Coming from the east, clearly having come from Aspen, was a massive airship. It had the distinct shape of a dragon, with the bow shaped like a red dragon whose maw was parted in a call. Spread below it were wings, designed just like a dragon's. The stern was just like a dragon's tail, and the entire ship had been made with red-painted steel, and had been applied to look like dragon scales. I could see, even from that distance, that there was a massive deck, and that the buildings were topped with spine-like structures that probably helped with flight. The ship had a Mist Engine that I could easily see, and I could see why the ship was flying so early; it needed the morning fog to fly.
Suddenly, a huge roar emitted from the ship, and I could see it heading straight for the coast. It continued on a steady descent, with no landing gear in sight. I watched with confusion, wondering how the ship could land when it had no gear to land on, and no dock to come at.
The ship made do by landing straight into the water of the Doorian River. With a massive splash, the airship landed in the water, and was soon afloat, floating in the massive river that managed to hold it. Another roar came from the ship, and I saw two people push a ladder over the side of the ship. As I approached, I heard someone shout, "Doorian Coast!"
Slowly, in a single-file line, a massive group of people began to leave the airship. Many of them stared at me curiously as they got down, but just as quickly they headed in many different directions. None of them headed toward the Lore Desert; most of them headed in the direction of Tessaih. The others headed northward, toward a massive cavern.
Finally, by the time the unloading had stopped, the sun had already risen, and it was early morning. I sat down to watch as the ship's crew began to clean off the ship and repair any damage. It lasted for hours, in which most people would've realized they had done nothing special, but I simply sat there mesmerized.
As I sat there, more people began to show up, eager to ride the airship. Most of them appeared to be warriors, equip with many weapons and layers of armors. I shook my head at them; they would be too slow to fight much of anything, in my eyes. A few warriors, however, had bows and arrows, and they seemed better equip for fighting.
Then there were the few people who simply appeared to be nobles wanting to travel, doctors with patients to treat, and average citizens with money to spare. Most of them didn't watch the airship like it was some wonder. Out of everyone, I was the only one who found the airship fascinating.
We were all startled, however, when the airship suddenly let out a roar. A person appeared on the deck.
"Dragon's Call, leaving in three hours!" the man shouted.
Immediately everyone moved, but I was quicker. Within a few seconds I had sprinted over to the ladder. A person leapt down from the ship and smiled at me.
"Hello. Here to board?" he asked, long strands of brown hair falling over his blue eyes.
I nodded, watching as the man tried to reorganize his hair. He only seemed to be making it worse.
"Gil, then," the man said, holding his hand, which was smudged with dirt and charcoal, out temporarily. I quickly dropped 2500 Gil into his hand. The man briefly stopped trying to reorganize hair so he could count the money. He then nodded, "Have fun."
I didn't bother climbing the ladder. I simply leapt straight up and onto the deck of the airship. Despite the easy jump, however, I was startled by how high up I was. The airship had to at least be three stories high, probably more. I looked over the edge to see that the people looked strangely small; not like ants, but smaller than they really were. They were also swiftly moving to the long ladder. I looked upward, and saw the Lore Desert stretching for miles. As I continued to look around, I could see the massive Illiad Forest, a little bit of the Orca River, and the Thunder Mountains in the far distance. Uma's Lake was clearly seen, and, as I continued to look around, the massive Liosa Mountains loomed in the distance. Tessaih, and the COL Headquarters were like small dots. It was an amazing sight.
I finally tore my gaze away from the scenery and toward the airship cabin. It covered in metal plates set up to look like red dragon scales. Spin-like, tall metal structures stuck out from the top. A few people had opened the black steel door and had gone inside. I walked across the black, steel-plated deck and into the room. A single massive table was set up near the door, and already two crewmembers were starting up a card game with two passengers. Controls for the airship were set up near the bow. A bearded man who appeared to be 500-years-old was fiddling with the controls. He looked over at everyone in the cabin briefly before smiled beneath his brown, graying beard and going back to his work.
I left the cabin, finding it to hold nothing of my liking. On the deck, many more passengers were getting on. Most of them were leaning against the black, steel railings, chatting peacefully with each other. None of them seemed exactly impressed to be on an airship. I figured they must've already been on them many times before.
"So, you new here?" a gruff voice asked behind me.
I whirled around to find a large man staring down at me. He was around six feet tall, and looked fairly dangerous. He wore black, heavy- looking armor, while a massive sword was strapped to his thigh. His brownish skin appeared to be tanned. He looked down at me curiously with brown eyes while I nodded.
"That's what I figured. You look awfully excited to be on such a silly airship," the man said, looking around.
"Silly? I think it's brilliant," I quickly replied.
"Lindblum has better. When we get there, you will see," the man said. He held out a large, gloved hand. "I'm Rege. Who are you?"
"Fratley," I replied, taking the man's hand and shaking it.
Rege's eyebrows lifted. "Iron-tail?"
"Yes," I answered, surprised at how quickly news traveled.
"You're only a kid," Rege commented under his breath.
"Sixteen."
"Ah. As I thought. So, what brings you on this airship?"
"I'm heading back to my home continent."
"But not Burmecia?"
"I have no need to return as of yet."
"Ah."
Suddenly a massive roar issued from the Dragon's Call's bow. A small smile came over Rege's face as he looked around.
"Finally, we're heading off," Rege said.
"The airship is going to leave?" I asked, looking around curiously.
"Yep. The ship's probably going to lurch quite a bit – It may take some time to get into the air, but we'll make it," Rege said, looking around. "Not a lot of mist in the water, after all. Luckily the Dragon's Call was a boat before an airship."
"It was?" I asked with interest.
"Yep. It was built during the last Demi War, to fight against the Dari. It was built to be resistant against fire, claws – Anything brought against it. That's why so many people rode it after the war – They knew it was safe," Rege explained.
"Was weaponry removed?" I asked.
"Nope. The weaponry is hidden. It was kept in as a precaution, but now is kept maintained since the damn COL came into power. Boats, airships... Any method of transportation has to be careful. The COL are—"
Suddenly the airship lurched forward, causing me to nearly lose my footing. I grasped the railing to keep on my feet. The ship was beginning to vibrate; the engine had begun to operate. No one but me seemed surprised. Regre chuckled, watching me with amusement.
"Ah, we're heading off," he commented softly.
I looked up ahead of me, wondering what was to come next. The engine seemed to be operating roughly, and it was making the whole airship shake. Below my feet, something seemed to be moving. The airship lurched forward again, then again. The third time, however, it kept moving forward at a slow, shaky speed. I felt like I was going to vomit. I closed my eyes, hoping to drive away the nausea.
I felt the ship moving to the right. The ship was shaking less often, and now the shaking was like a soft rumble. I opened my eyes, only to find the airship to have left the river. It was following Eoroqu's coast. The engine was gaining more and more strength, and the airship was moving more quickly. I looked around, and noted that everyone outside was holding a railing.
"We'll probably be in the air soon," Rege muttered. "Yep."
As Rege said the final word, the airship suddenly lurched upward. I gripped the railing of the airship tightly, staring at the ocean below. The airship had gained a lot of speed. It continued to lurch upward, and suddenly the engine let out a massive roar. I saw steam explode outward from the ship's stern. The steam rose above and into the air. The airship was shaking as it started to head steadily upward. I closed my eyes, feeling the nausea come again. The ship was at a high angle. For hours, it seemed to be like that. Then, suddenly, the ship began to straighten. I could feel moisture in the air. I opened my eyes, and was shocked to find the airship covered by thick mist. I couldn't see the ocean below. Rege was watching me with a grin.
"Impressive, eh? It's best for the airships to travel up here near Eoroqu. COL can't see you well, and besides, the Mist helps the engine. We should lower once we approach Lindblum," Rege explained.
"The airship's bound for Lindblum?" I asked, staring at the Mist.
"Yep," Rege said proudly. He then frowned suddenly, and I did too, for the ship was suddenly turning. "Now what?"
I looked around, and noted that the ship was turning back toward the continent. Rege's frown deepened as he seemed to listen to the engine. I also listened, and noted the strange noises it made.
"Not enough Mist," Rege muttered. "This is bad. We're turning right toward the COL. They may not attack, unless they suspect us of carrying you or other Burmecians."
"Can we deal with them?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah, the Dragon's Call can cream them. But it'll waste a lot of—"Rege was cut off by a massive roar.
The roar hadn't come from the Dragon's Call, which was coming to a stop. It had come from something that was living. In the airship's hull, I felt movement. I clutched the railing as the ship shook. Many people on the deck looked around nervously. The door to the cabin opened, and the captain appeared in the doorway.
"In here, everyone, unless you want to be fried," the captain said calmly, his green eyes examining everyone.
Everyone but Rege and I disappeared into the cabin. The captain closed the door without asking for us to come in. I heard the cabin door lock, and another roar came from above.
"Why didn't you—"I began.
"I want to watch the show, just like you," Rege said calmly. "Ah, there it is."
Cutting through the Mist was a massive dragon. It was at least thirteen feet long from head to tail, with a three-foot-long tail and a three-foot-long neck. Its small head was decorated with massive horns, and it had red eyes with a flame within these eyes. It snorted black pillows of smoke from small nostrils. Its legs appeared to be four-feet-long, and its large paws were bird-like, with a backward claw and three front claws. The claws were each three-feet-long. The dragon's wingspan was at least sixteen-feet-long. The entire dragon was covered in red flames.
"A Flaming Dragon," Rege muttered. "This'll be fun! I wonder, is it the COL at all?"
"Do they normally use dragons?" I asked, watching the Flaming Dragon roar.
"Not Flamers. Normally they have Silver or Grand," Rege muttered. "I think we're just in its – WHOA!"
The Flaming Dragon suddenly spat red flames from its short snout. The Dragon's Call suddenly swerved, sending Rege and I both sprawled on the deck. We both rose to a sitting position, but decided to stay where we were. Meanwhile, the movement in the hull had stopped.
The Dragon's Call swerved again, and soon the bow faced the angry Flaming Dragon. The Flaming Dragon snarled angrily, mouth agape and revealing flaming fangs that were at least four-feet-long. In the hull, I thought I heard a strange noise, like something powering up. Then the whole airship shook as two massive cannons fired.
Two Bombs flew from the cannons. The Bombs soon steadied their near- round, flaming bodies and stared wickedly at the Dragon. They then flew over to it, flames flickering on the top if their heads. The Dragon snarled angrily and tried to scratch one of the Bombs, only to make it begin inflating swiftly. In fact, both Bombs were inflating quickly. Meanwhile, the Dragon's Call was heading away from the dragon. The Dragon, noticing the retreat, snarled angrily and tried to go after the airship. Unfortunately for it, the Bombs had already reached maximum size.
The two Bombs exploded, taking the Dragon with them. The Dragon snarled with pain, while the explosion just missed the Dragon's Call. The Flaming Dragon plummeted from the sky. Below, I heard it hit the ground with a massive thud.
Rege looked extremely concerned even though the danger was over. He was looking around nervously. Clearly, the captain knew of danger too, for the Dragon's Call had not yet retreated. I looked around, wondering what was wrong.
Five minutes passed, and nothing came. Slowly the Dragon's Call began to turn about. It then began to steadily head toward the ocean once more. The morning fog was beginning to clear up. Slowly the Dragon's Call began to descend, though I did not understand why. Wasn't the fog above us all? If so, shouldn't the airship be following it?
Fifteen minutes later, the ocean came into sight. I could see nothing on the ocean. Clearly, the captain hadn't seen anything either, for the airship began to ascend again. The hull shook as the weapons began to return to the hull. The cabin door was unlocked, and a few people came onto the deck.
"That was interesting," Rege muttered, rising to his feet. "So we had to fight a dragon just to collect a little fog to move forward. Fascinating."
"Is that an everyday happening?" I asked curiously.
"Ah, no. But Dragons are territorial, so I'm not surprised," Rege said. He walked over to the railing and looked around. The fog was above us, so you could see around you.
I rose to my feet and looked around quietly. In the distance, I could see a massive mountain range that separated Burmecia and Cleyra from the rest of the Mist Continent. Unfortunately, I couldn't recall the mountain range's name. I turned my gaze toward our destination. In the far distance, I could see a massive castle towering over much of the Continent. I couldn't remember what it was either. It was clear, however, that it was our destination, so it had to be Lindblum.
Rege noted my gaze on Lindblum, and he smiled slightly.
"Amazing city, Lindblum," he muttered. "Very technologically advanced, not to mention well run. It's a good place to go to."
"How far away is Alexandria?" I asked curiously.
"Pretty far away," Rege replied. "Long walk, and not many airships travel between the two countries these days. Why? That your destination?"
I nodded, but said nothing more. I simply watched as Lindblum became steadily closer as the Dragon's Call flew toward it.
-------- Well, there's that! So Fratley's (finally) heading back to the Mist Continent! What awaits him there? Gee, I wonder...
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, events, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Dragon's Call
The Dari seemed surprised and rather happy at my sudden return. Many of them, however, seemed to understand that I would be heading off quickly. Most of my time with the Dari was spent learning about the many ships heading to the Mist Continent. You did not need a special ticket to get on; you only needed the Gil to pay to get on. Most of the ships sounded impressively expensive, but one had a price I knew I could afford. This ship, called the Dragon's Call, was a massive, high-tech ship that had the ability to fly in the air. I soon realized that it was an airship; I had heard about them, but never seen them.
The Dragon's Call was going to Lindblum, and it was leaving a day before Eoroqu fell back into darkness. According to Lizzy, the price of admission was 2500 Gil, which was cheap in comparison to the sea-faring, old freighters that still managed to sail despite their age.
While with the Dari, I was able to catch up on old times. Lizzy's five kids, who had names, finally, were already a year old and growing quickly. They found me interesting, each of them staring up at me with a different set of unique eyes. In a year, it seemed like everything had changed – And it had.
"So this is... Posy?" I asked, looking down at one of Lizzie and Ronde's girls, a white-furred Dari with green eyes. She reminded me much of Freya, though Freya was much older.
"Yep. We were out o' names," Lizzy replied, watching me. Tarot, one of the males with bluish fur and near-black eyes, was in her arms. Clearly, he had simply wanted to be held.
I nodded. "Makes enough sense. So when is the Dragon's Call--?"
"Tomorrow," Lizzy reminded me, putting Tarot down on the floor. Tarot glared at her and let out a soft whimper. Lizzy ignored him. "I'd like ta tell ya somethin'."
"What is it?" I asked, looking over at Lizzy while I allowed Posy to chew my finger. It didn't hurt in the least.
"Ya know Jason?" Lizzy asked, looking over at Tarot to make sure he didn't go crawling away.
"How could I not?" I asked, soon finding I had two children who wanted to chew my fingers.
"We caught 'im on a murder attempt. Tried ta kill Ronde," Lizzy said quietly, lifting Yvonne, a roan-eyed female with gray fur, into her arms.
I looked over at Lizzy with shock, startled by the news. Meanwhile, I lifted Posy into my own arms, finding that her chewing on my finger was starting to get a little annoying. "Really?"
"Seriously. Tarot! Get back 'ere!" Lizzy suddenly snapped at Tarot, who had been trying to crawl outside. He looked over at Lizzy and made a hissing noise. "Crazy child. Anyway, it turns out Jason 'ad murdered before. Before ya came 'ere, 'e 'ad murdered my sister, who 'ad been leadin' the huntin' team. 'E's gone now... Sent 'im ta go get eaten by the wild."
"I see," I said, watching as Uio, a brown-furred, blue-eyed male, lied in the corner. "He going to come out?"
"Uio? No, e's a shy one," Lizzy said with a frown. "Neve' wants ta play... I don' know why. TAROT!"
I laughed. "His opinion is leaving."
"'Opefully Ronde will catch 'im," Lizzy said, watching Tarot continue on his way toward the opening. "Yep. I 'ere 'im."
I nodded as I put Posy down on the floor, causing her to look up at me with innocent eyes. I looked outside, to where I could see the sun slowly setting. I then watched as Ronde came in and picked up a now clearly frustrated Tarot. I looked at the two and nodded.
"I'll be leaving now. Good luck," I said with a light smile.
"Take care o' yeself," Lizzy said while Ronde nodded.
I quickly left the tent and headed toward my own. I had to prepare to move out by nightfall.
Packing up and leaving was easier than it had been the first time. I found that I could leave with more ease. The Dari still had their traditional smiles and "Good lucks", but they too seemed to find it easier since I had not stayed long, and had been with them before. Soon, I was out in the wilderness, heading toward the Doorian coast, where the Dragon's Call was supposed to land.
The night was strangely quiet; that was the first thing I noticed as I traveled the now cold, dark desert. Normally night critters were actively pursuing prey, and watching me with eerie, glowing green eyes. Far more monstrous creatures would watch me as if ready to eat me, hence my spear being out and ready. Yet for once, none of these creatures were around. Nothing stirred; it was unsettling.
Finally, after an hour of unsettling traveling, I came to a stop. A feeling of great suspicion and unsettlement had come over me. I readied my spear as I looked around, able to see rather clearly in the dark.
That was when I heard it; a distinct scraping of claws against the sand. I spun my spear about as I readied it. The footsteps came ever closer. I thought I heard someone breathing, but I definitely heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. I took a deep breath as I waited quietly.
Then, just as I felt a rush of air behind me, I spun about and thrust my spear straight into Jason's chest. I was not surprised that it was he, though I felt slightly guilty for having to kill him. I retracted my spear and quickly shoved him to the ground. Jason fell to the ground, dropping the spear he had been holding.
"There is no excuse for murder," I growled.
"You?" Jason muttered.
"And you," I replied with a sigh. "While I had guessed you may have been a criminal I never guessed you'd be a murderer. I guess you had this in for you... Best wishes in the underworld."
Jason stared at me coldly. I walked over to the spear he had and picked it up. It really wasn't a spear... It was more like an axe. The blade of the spear was situated on the side, though a jagged edge rose to allow piercing to be done. The larger part of the blade was shaped like a massive, reddish-white axe blade. The lance could slash, or it could pierce. Furthermore, the wood was strong, and could easily stand pressure. I nodded to myself and looked down at Jason, who was about to fall unconscious.
"I'll take this," I muttered, dropping the spear I had originally taken, and spinning my new one to test its strength. "You won't need it, after all."
With those words, I turned around and headed back in the direction of the Doorian Coast. Guilt was within my mind for my actions, but I knew they were for the better. The Dari were safer now, and now I was more prepared for Beatrix.
I was approaching the sandy Doorian Coast, having long left the Lore Desert, when I was startled by a magnificent wonder. Coming from the east, clearly having come from Aspen, was a massive airship. It had the distinct shape of a dragon, with the bow shaped like a red dragon whose maw was parted in a call. Spread below it were wings, designed just like a dragon's. The stern was just like a dragon's tail, and the entire ship had been made with red-painted steel, and had been applied to look like dragon scales. I could see, even from that distance, that there was a massive deck, and that the buildings were topped with spine-like structures that probably helped with flight. The ship had a Mist Engine that I could easily see, and I could see why the ship was flying so early; it needed the morning fog to fly.
Suddenly, a huge roar emitted from the ship, and I could see it heading straight for the coast. It continued on a steady descent, with no landing gear in sight. I watched with confusion, wondering how the ship could land when it had no gear to land on, and no dock to come at.
The ship made do by landing straight into the water of the Doorian River. With a massive splash, the airship landed in the water, and was soon afloat, floating in the massive river that managed to hold it. Another roar came from the ship, and I saw two people push a ladder over the side of the ship. As I approached, I heard someone shout, "Doorian Coast!"
Slowly, in a single-file line, a massive group of people began to leave the airship. Many of them stared at me curiously as they got down, but just as quickly they headed in many different directions. None of them headed toward the Lore Desert; most of them headed in the direction of Tessaih. The others headed northward, toward a massive cavern.
Finally, by the time the unloading had stopped, the sun had already risen, and it was early morning. I sat down to watch as the ship's crew began to clean off the ship and repair any damage. It lasted for hours, in which most people would've realized they had done nothing special, but I simply sat there mesmerized.
As I sat there, more people began to show up, eager to ride the airship. Most of them appeared to be warriors, equip with many weapons and layers of armors. I shook my head at them; they would be too slow to fight much of anything, in my eyes. A few warriors, however, had bows and arrows, and they seemed better equip for fighting.
Then there were the few people who simply appeared to be nobles wanting to travel, doctors with patients to treat, and average citizens with money to spare. Most of them didn't watch the airship like it was some wonder. Out of everyone, I was the only one who found the airship fascinating.
We were all startled, however, when the airship suddenly let out a roar. A person appeared on the deck.
"Dragon's Call, leaving in three hours!" the man shouted.
Immediately everyone moved, but I was quicker. Within a few seconds I had sprinted over to the ladder. A person leapt down from the ship and smiled at me.
"Hello. Here to board?" he asked, long strands of brown hair falling over his blue eyes.
I nodded, watching as the man tried to reorganize his hair. He only seemed to be making it worse.
"Gil, then," the man said, holding his hand, which was smudged with dirt and charcoal, out temporarily. I quickly dropped 2500 Gil into his hand. The man briefly stopped trying to reorganize hair so he could count the money. He then nodded, "Have fun."
I didn't bother climbing the ladder. I simply leapt straight up and onto the deck of the airship. Despite the easy jump, however, I was startled by how high up I was. The airship had to at least be three stories high, probably more. I looked over the edge to see that the people looked strangely small; not like ants, but smaller than they really were. They were also swiftly moving to the long ladder. I looked upward, and saw the Lore Desert stretching for miles. As I continued to look around, I could see the massive Illiad Forest, a little bit of the Orca River, and the Thunder Mountains in the far distance. Uma's Lake was clearly seen, and, as I continued to look around, the massive Liosa Mountains loomed in the distance. Tessaih, and the COL Headquarters were like small dots. It was an amazing sight.
I finally tore my gaze away from the scenery and toward the airship cabin. It covered in metal plates set up to look like red dragon scales. Spin-like, tall metal structures stuck out from the top. A few people had opened the black steel door and had gone inside. I walked across the black, steel-plated deck and into the room. A single massive table was set up near the door, and already two crewmembers were starting up a card game with two passengers. Controls for the airship were set up near the bow. A bearded man who appeared to be 500-years-old was fiddling with the controls. He looked over at everyone in the cabin briefly before smiled beneath his brown, graying beard and going back to his work.
I left the cabin, finding it to hold nothing of my liking. On the deck, many more passengers were getting on. Most of them were leaning against the black, steel railings, chatting peacefully with each other. None of them seemed exactly impressed to be on an airship. I figured they must've already been on them many times before.
"So, you new here?" a gruff voice asked behind me.
I whirled around to find a large man staring down at me. He was around six feet tall, and looked fairly dangerous. He wore black, heavy- looking armor, while a massive sword was strapped to his thigh. His brownish skin appeared to be tanned. He looked down at me curiously with brown eyes while I nodded.
"That's what I figured. You look awfully excited to be on such a silly airship," the man said, looking around.
"Silly? I think it's brilliant," I quickly replied.
"Lindblum has better. When we get there, you will see," the man said. He held out a large, gloved hand. "I'm Rege. Who are you?"
"Fratley," I replied, taking the man's hand and shaking it.
Rege's eyebrows lifted. "Iron-tail?"
"Yes," I answered, surprised at how quickly news traveled.
"You're only a kid," Rege commented under his breath.
"Sixteen."
"Ah. As I thought. So, what brings you on this airship?"
"I'm heading back to my home continent."
"But not Burmecia?"
"I have no need to return as of yet."
"Ah."
Suddenly a massive roar issued from the Dragon's Call's bow. A small smile came over Rege's face as he looked around.
"Finally, we're heading off," Rege said.
"The airship is going to leave?" I asked, looking around curiously.
"Yep. The ship's probably going to lurch quite a bit – It may take some time to get into the air, but we'll make it," Rege said, looking around. "Not a lot of mist in the water, after all. Luckily the Dragon's Call was a boat before an airship."
"It was?" I asked with interest.
"Yep. It was built during the last Demi War, to fight against the Dari. It was built to be resistant against fire, claws – Anything brought against it. That's why so many people rode it after the war – They knew it was safe," Rege explained.
"Was weaponry removed?" I asked.
"Nope. The weaponry is hidden. It was kept in as a precaution, but now is kept maintained since the damn COL came into power. Boats, airships... Any method of transportation has to be careful. The COL are—"
Suddenly the airship lurched forward, causing me to nearly lose my footing. I grasped the railing to keep on my feet. The ship was beginning to vibrate; the engine had begun to operate. No one but me seemed surprised. Regre chuckled, watching me with amusement.
"Ah, we're heading off," he commented softly.
I looked up ahead of me, wondering what was to come next. The engine seemed to be operating roughly, and it was making the whole airship shake. Below my feet, something seemed to be moving. The airship lurched forward again, then again. The third time, however, it kept moving forward at a slow, shaky speed. I felt like I was going to vomit. I closed my eyes, hoping to drive away the nausea.
I felt the ship moving to the right. The ship was shaking less often, and now the shaking was like a soft rumble. I opened my eyes, only to find the airship to have left the river. It was following Eoroqu's coast. The engine was gaining more and more strength, and the airship was moving more quickly. I looked around, and noted that everyone outside was holding a railing.
"We'll probably be in the air soon," Rege muttered. "Yep."
As Rege said the final word, the airship suddenly lurched upward. I gripped the railing of the airship tightly, staring at the ocean below. The airship had gained a lot of speed. It continued to lurch upward, and suddenly the engine let out a massive roar. I saw steam explode outward from the ship's stern. The steam rose above and into the air. The airship was shaking as it started to head steadily upward. I closed my eyes, feeling the nausea come again. The ship was at a high angle. For hours, it seemed to be like that. Then, suddenly, the ship began to straighten. I could feel moisture in the air. I opened my eyes, and was shocked to find the airship covered by thick mist. I couldn't see the ocean below. Rege was watching me with a grin.
"Impressive, eh? It's best for the airships to travel up here near Eoroqu. COL can't see you well, and besides, the Mist helps the engine. We should lower once we approach Lindblum," Rege explained.
"The airship's bound for Lindblum?" I asked, staring at the Mist.
"Yep," Rege said proudly. He then frowned suddenly, and I did too, for the ship was suddenly turning. "Now what?"
I looked around, and noted that the ship was turning back toward the continent. Rege's frown deepened as he seemed to listen to the engine. I also listened, and noted the strange noises it made.
"Not enough Mist," Rege muttered. "This is bad. We're turning right toward the COL. They may not attack, unless they suspect us of carrying you or other Burmecians."
"Can we deal with them?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah, the Dragon's Call can cream them. But it'll waste a lot of—"Rege was cut off by a massive roar.
The roar hadn't come from the Dragon's Call, which was coming to a stop. It had come from something that was living. In the airship's hull, I felt movement. I clutched the railing as the ship shook. Many people on the deck looked around nervously. The door to the cabin opened, and the captain appeared in the doorway.
"In here, everyone, unless you want to be fried," the captain said calmly, his green eyes examining everyone.
Everyone but Rege and I disappeared into the cabin. The captain closed the door without asking for us to come in. I heard the cabin door lock, and another roar came from above.
"Why didn't you—"I began.
"I want to watch the show, just like you," Rege said calmly. "Ah, there it is."
Cutting through the Mist was a massive dragon. It was at least thirteen feet long from head to tail, with a three-foot-long tail and a three-foot-long neck. Its small head was decorated with massive horns, and it had red eyes with a flame within these eyes. It snorted black pillows of smoke from small nostrils. Its legs appeared to be four-feet-long, and its large paws were bird-like, with a backward claw and three front claws. The claws were each three-feet-long. The dragon's wingspan was at least sixteen-feet-long. The entire dragon was covered in red flames.
"A Flaming Dragon," Rege muttered. "This'll be fun! I wonder, is it the COL at all?"
"Do they normally use dragons?" I asked, watching the Flaming Dragon roar.
"Not Flamers. Normally they have Silver or Grand," Rege muttered. "I think we're just in its – WHOA!"
The Flaming Dragon suddenly spat red flames from its short snout. The Dragon's Call suddenly swerved, sending Rege and I both sprawled on the deck. We both rose to a sitting position, but decided to stay where we were. Meanwhile, the movement in the hull had stopped.
The Dragon's Call swerved again, and soon the bow faced the angry Flaming Dragon. The Flaming Dragon snarled angrily, mouth agape and revealing flaming fangs that were at least four-feet-long. In the hull, I thought I heard a strange noise, like something powering up. Then the whole airship shook as two massive cannons fired.
Two Bombs flew from the cannons. The Bombs soon steadied their near- round, flaming bodies and stared wickedly at the Dragon. They then flew over to it, flames flickering on the top if their heads. The Dragon snarled angrily and tried to scratch one of the Bombs, only to make it begin inflating swiftly. In fact, both Bombs were inflating quickly. Meanwhile, the Dragon's Call was heading away from the dragon. The Dragon, noticing the retreat, snarled angrily and tried to go after the airship. Unfortunately for it, the Bombs had already reached maximum size.
The two Bombs exploded, taking the Dragon with them. The Dragon snarled with pain, while the explosion just missed the Dragon's Call. The Flaming Dragon plummeted from the sky. Below, I heard it hit the ground with a massive thud.
Rege looked extremely concerned even though the danger was over. He was looking around nervously. Clearly, the captain knew of danger too, for the Dragon's Call had not yet retreated. I looked around, wondering what was wrong.
Five minutes passed, and nothing came. Slowly the Dragon's Call began to turn about. It then began to steadily head toward the ocean once more. The morning fog was beginning to clear up. Slowly the Dragon's Call began to descend, though I did not understand why. Wasn't the fog above us all? If so, shouldn't the airship be following it?
Fifteen minutes later, the ocean came into sight. I could see nothing on the ocean. Clearly, the captain hadn't seen anything either, for the airship began to ascend again. The hull shook as the weapons began to return to the hull. The cabin door was unlocked, and a few people came onto the deck.
"That was interesting," Rege muttered, rising to his feet. "So we had to fight a dragon just to collect a little fog to move forward. Fascinating."
"Is that an everyday happening?" I asked curiously.
"Ah, no. But Dragons are territorial, so I'm not surprised," Rege said. He walked over to the railing and looked around. The fog was above us, so you could see around you.
I rose to my feet and looked around quietly. In the distance, I could see a massive mountain range that separated Burmecia and Cleyra from the rest of the Mist Continent. Unfortunately, I couldn't recall the mountain range's name. I turned my gaze toward our destination. In the far distance, I could see a massive castle towering over much of the Continent. I couldn't remember what it was either. It was clear, however, that it was our destination, so it had to be Lindblum.
Rege noted my gaze on Lindblum, and he smiled slightly.
"Amazing city, Lindblum," he muttered. "Very technologically advanced, not to mention well run. It's a good place to go to."
"How far away is Alexandria?" I asked curiously.
"Pretty far away," Rege replied. "Long walk, and not many airships travel between the two countries these days. Why? That your destination?"
I nodded, but said nothing more. I simply watched as Lindblum became steadily closer as the Dragon's Call flew toward it.
-------- Well, there's that! So Fratley's (finally) heading back to the Mist Continent! What awaits him there? Gee, I wonder...
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, events, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.